Typewriting machine



EMWEYE A xriill 7 W36. W. F. HELMONID TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1933 .2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR:

TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWWWWF Patented Apr. 7, 1936 TYPEWRITING MACHINE William F. Helmond, West Hartford, Conn, as-

signor to Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application January 14, 1933, Serial No. 651,771

11 Claims. (01. 197-42) This invention relates to an improved type-bar rest for a typewriting machine, and to its manufacture.

An object of the invention is to produce a highly eflicient inexpensive structure. The padding material is of such character as to arrest the typebar noiselessly, and without causing rebound, thereby avoiding clash with adjacent type-bars.

Asbestos, in fibrous condition, is used for padding material for the type-bar rest. In its ordinary pressed form, and particularly when fibers of shoddy character .are used, asbestos would be liable to disintegrate into a powder under the type-bar blows. For the purpose of the invention, however, the asbestos is spun into yarn similar to that which is used for burner-wicking, the spinning process bringing out the collective strength of the fibers. Moreover long fibers are used, so that disintegration of the pad under the type-bar blows is successfully overcome. The spun yarn may be twisted into strands, which in turn, may be twisted into a unitary cord which is strong and is easily inserted into the envelope. The cord when made of asbestos has the required dead cushioning property, and the asbestos fibers, being spun and twisted, are capable of resisting denting, packing and disintegration. The asbestos padding also has the capability of noiselessly arresting the type-bars without rebound.

The cord may be as thick as the required thickness of the filling and for making the filling broader than the diameter of the unitary cord, in order to produce the oblong sectioned pad, the invention effects doubling of the cord.

The improved padding material is provided with an envelope of woven fabric, of tubular form, and preferably provided with an external tangential flap, by means of which the pad is fastened to the usual curving support.

The invention quickly and inexpensively inserts and evenly compacts the cord into the long tubular envelope.

For distributing the force of the type-bar blow, it is desirable the pad presents a substantially broad surface against which the type-bars rest. The envelope is of oblong cross-section, and has moreover the external flap tangent to one flat side. The cord is compacted into such envelope uniformly throughout its length, so that, regardless of the twist in the cord, and which twist may tend to make the assemblage wind and twist, the filling conforms to the oblong section without creating any bulges, hollows or distortion in the pad.

By folding the cord end to end, and using the loop thus formed at one end as an eye, the doubled cord may be readily inserted into the envelope and drawn therethrough, making a tight fit, so as to compact the doubled cord.

The invention holds the envelope and distends one end of the tube for ready introduction of the cord. The envelope is kept smooth, and caused to assume, without distortion, the fiat shape for which it is fashioned, while the doubled cord is being drawn in. Adjacent stretches of the cord are prevented from becoming twisted around one another, and the external longitudinal flap is kept tangent to a fiat side of the pad. The doubled cord is supported and guided straight into the distended tube-opening.

The tight-fitting oblong sectioned envelope forces the adjacent stretches of the cord together and there is thus formed a self-contained, uniformly compact and undistorted pad-structure. Said structure may be subjected to a completing process by pressure, for the purpose of flattening the circular sectioned cord, so that the force of the type-bar blow is distributed over a large area of cushion. The asbestos filling is pliant enough to retain the flattened shape to which it is molded.

The invention therefore presents a simple, inexpensive method of building up a compact typebar rest or pad having the desired properties.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a view of the unitary cord before folding.

Figure 2 is a View showing the cord folded and a draw-string threaded through the looped end of the cord.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the tubular fabric envelope, showing how one end thereof may be slit to form tabs used for distending the end of the tubular opening.

Figure 4 is a perspective view representing the cord as built up by spinning and twisting.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the envelope and cord handling means employed to facilitate the insertion of the cord into the envelope.

Figure 6 is a View showing how the sides of the envelope are supported to keep the envelope smooth during insertion of the cord.

Figure 7 is a front-elevation diagram of the envelope in the holding means and represents the cord as having been drawn into the envelope with the draw-string still attached.

Figure 8 is a side View showing envelope-holding jaws and a vise on which said jaws are mounted, the view indicating how said jaws receive the flap of the envelope preparatory to closing the vise.

Figure 9 is a perspective view showing details of spaced plates over which tabs of the tubular envelope are folded for distending the entrance to the tubular opening.

Figure 10 is a plan view of the pad, upon its removal from the holding means of Figure 5, with the cord fully inserted therein.

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10, indicating the ends of the envelope closed over the ends of the inserted cord.

Figure 12 is a top-plan view indicating how the tabs at the end of the tubular envelope are folded over the aforesaid spaced plates to distend the entrance to the tube, the View being taken before a swingable clip is forced over the folded tabs,

Figure 13 is a top-plan view of the pad as mounted on its support.

Figure 14 is a cross-section through the pad and support, showing the pad before it is molded by the pressing process.

Figure 15 is a front elevation indicating how the pad is compressed between dies for flattening the doubled cord.

Figure 16 is a cross-section of Figure 14, indicating how the pad is supported and located on one of the dies, and also indicating how the other die may be formed and how said die in descending molds the pad.

Figure 17 is a fragmentary cross-section of the typewriter, showing a type-bar resting against the pad after being returned from printing against the platen.

In Figure 17, a type-bar 29 is one of the usual set arcuately arrayed in a segment 2|, having a fulcrum-wire 22, about which the type-bars swing for co-operating with a platen 23. The type-bars are operable by key-actions represented by arm 24. In their usual quick return from the platen, the type-bars are arrested by a novel pad 25 constructed as will be described, and fastened by screws 26 to the usual arcuate support 21, secured to the type-bar frame 28 by screws 29.

The novel pad includes an envelope 3B of woven fabric, Figure 3, fashioned into a tubular bodyportion 3| to receive the novel filling which will be described presently. The sides of the tubular body 3| meet along a line 32 where they are joined as by sewing, knitting or weaving to form, externally of said body, a longitudinal flap 33 through which pass the screws for fastening the envelope to the support 21. The sides of the tubular body and the fastening thereof together are so fashioned that when the envelope is filled, the resultant pad is of oblong cross-section with the flap 33 extending from one fiat side at a tangent, so that when the fiap is fastened to the aforesaid support, the body lies closely upon the latter as seen in Figure 14.

The filling or padding is cord made of long fiber asbestos. The long asbestos fibers are spun and twisted as in burner-wicking to bring out their collective strength and, for facilitating insertion into the envelope 3!), a unitary cord 35 of substantially circular section is formed. In order that the cord may be molded as will be described, the diameter thereof is made somewhat larger than the finished thickness of the padding. Figure 4 illustrates the cord-structure inv which the yarns 36 are spun from the long asbestos fibers. The yarns 36 are twisted into strands 31, which, in turn, are twisted together to complete the cord. The process of spinning and twisting to form the cord may be substantially as practiced in the well-known art of cord-manufacture.

For making the padding wider than the thickness of the cord, the latter may be doubled. The doubling of the cord is preferably done by taking a piece of the cord 35, Figure 1, which is about twice the required length of the pad-filling, and folding said piece end to end, as indicated in Figure 2. A loop 38 thus formed at the end of the folded cord serves as an eye through which may be threaded a string 39 for drawing the cord in its doubled condition into the envelope 30.

Novel means for holding the envelope to facilitate insertion of the cord therein are arranged upon a vise, Figures 5 and 8, having a body 43 presenting a fixed jaw 44. The vise is mountable upon a work-bench, not shown. A movable jaw 45 of the vise has the usual shank 46 slidably fitting the body 43. The jaws are opened and closed by means of a screw 47, with which may co-operate a spring 48, Figure 8, for forcing the jaws apart when the screw, which has the usual cross-bar or handle, is turned for opening the v1se.

The movable jaw 45 has fastened upon its clamping face an elongate bar 49 co-operative with another elongate bar 50, fastened upon the clamping face of the fixed jaw 44, said bars constituting special vise-jaws co-operating, as will be shown, for holding the envelope by gripping its flap 33 lengthwise. Above their fiat gripping faces or portions, the bars form a channel 53 which serves to support the sides of the envelope in such manner that as the latter becomes filled by the drawing-in of the cord, the envelope is made to assume the oblong shape for which it is fashioned, with the flap 33 extending at a tangent from one fiat side of said oblong shape, see Figure 6. Thus, as seen in Figures 6 and 7, the flap-gripping faces of the bars 49, 50 are at one side of the channel 53, the gripping face of the bar 49 being prolonged upwardly to form one side of the channel, and the opposite gripping face of bar 50 being topped by a ledge 54 forming the bottom of the channel.

For gaging the depth of insertion of the envelope-fiap 33 between the gripping faces of bars 49 and 50, a stop may be formed as by the top of a tongue 56 extending outwardly from the flapgripping face of the bar 50. The bar 49 has a groove 5'! to receive the tongue 56, so that the top thereof extends under the gripping face of bar 49, see Figure 8. The groove 5'! and tongue. 56 may extend lengthwise of the bars 49, 50, and may co -operate to keep said bars in line with one another. A stop-pin 59, carried by shank 46 of the movable vise-jaw, prevents undue separation of the jaws, as will be evident from Figure 8. Screws 60 secure the bars 49, 50 to the vise-jaws.

For distending the tubular envelope-body 3! at one end for facilitating introduction of the cord, there is made in the envelope a slit 6|, Figure 3, at the line of juncture of the flap 33 and the body 3| of the envelope. Another slit 62 is made at the top of the envelope. Theslits are just deep enough to form tabs 63, which, when pulled laterally in opposite directions, serve to distend the entrance to the tubular body of the envelope.

In order that the envelope may be so distended While its flap is held by means of the vise-bars 49, 50, the latter are arranged at one end to present plates 65, 56, having toothed vertical edges 61, 68, over which the envelope-tabs 63 may be pulled, as indicated in Figure 12, to distend the entrance to the tubular part of the envelope. The plates 65, 66 are fastened respectively to bars 59 and 49 in such wise that their inner faces are flush with the sides of the channel 53 formed by said bars, the plates being fastened by screws 69.

For supporting the doubled asbestos cord 35 in folded condition and in line with the distended envelope-entrance, the bar 50 has fastened thereto, by screws 1 i, an arm 12 arranged to support beyond the entrance to the tubular envelope a Ushaped trough 13 into which the doubled cord may be snugly laid on edge, see Figure 5, the trough 'l3 being fastened tosaid arm 12. The trough supports the cord squarely in line with the distended entrance to the tubular envelope, and, beforethecord islaid into said trough, the draw-string 39 may be threaded through the eye to the loop 38.

Prior: to the laying of the cord into the trough 13, there may be inserted by way of the distended tubular opening of the envelope, a rod 16, long enough to reach beyond the far end of the bars 49, 50, when a hook ll of said rod extends beyond the distended envelope-entrance. With the rod 16 so inserted: the draw-string 39 is caught over the hook 11 as shown in Figure 5, and the hook may then be drawn through the envelope to pull the draw-string through, the latter being preferably pulled through first before the cord is introduced into the envelope. The draw-string having been pulled through, it is grasped and the cord, in turn, is pulled through until its trailing end reaches just within the slitted part of the envelope, as indicated in Figure 10. The doubled length of the cord and the length of the envelope are such that when the cord is thus drawn in, the loop-end of the doubled cord also falls within the envelope, as indicated in Figure 10. When the cord is in place within the envelope the drawstring 39 is simply pulled out of the loop 38 and removed.

The envelope-tabs 93 may be held over the plates 65, 66, by which they are distended, by means of a U-shaped spring-clip 85, pivoted to the arm I2 at 96, and having upwardly-extending arms 8'! which spring over the outer faces of the plates 95, 66, to pinch the tabs 63, when the clip is swung to the Figure 5 position. For release of the envelope-tabs 33, the clip may be swung to the Figure 9 position.

The envelope 39 may be of such length that after the doubled cord is inserted, the envelopeends may be trimmed square as along the dot-anddash lines 89, Figure 10, and the ends may then be closed upon the ends of the inserted doubled cord by metallic clips 90, formed to pinch the sides of the envelope together, as indicated in Figure 11.

The envelope is made tight fitting over the doubled cord inserted therein, the illustrated envelope and cord handling means making it possible, nevertheless, to easily insert the doubled cord into the envelope. The resultant type-bar rest 25 is compact, and when fastened to the arcuate support 21 has the shape seen in Figure 14. For flattening the tops of the cord, the assembled pad and filling are pressed preferably after being secured to said arcuate support H. For this purpose the support 2'l, with the pad thereon, is laid upon a lower die 95, conforming in shape to the support, having gages 96 and 91 for locating the support transversely, so that the pad on said support may align with an upper die 98, whose sides are flanged, as at 99, Figure 16, to mold the pad at its edges. Guide-pins I93, Figure 15, keep the upper and lower dies in alignment. The upper and lower dies are forced together to compress the pad, as illustrated in Figure 16, so that the top of the inserted cord is flattened to present a large area for distributing the force of the type-bar blows. The gage 99 is in the form of a central arm shaped as shown and fastened to the front of die 95 by screws IN. The gage 91 may be pins driven into the concave face of the lower die as seen in Figure 15.

The method of constructing the novel pad and the use of the herein-described means are as follows: The tubular envelope fabric is cut to a length sufficient to permit slitting one end and trimming both ends as indicated in Figure 10. The vise is opened and the flap of the envelope is inserted between the bars 49, 59, so that it touches the top of the tongue 59 as in Figure 8. In this position the line 32 of the envelope where the flap begins is gaged slightly above the ledge 54 which forms the bottom of the channel 53.

The vise is now closed upon the envelope-flap and the tabs 63 of the envelope are pulled apart and folded over the toothed edges 3'5, 68 of plates 65, 95, as indicated in Figure 12, to distend the entrance to the envelope. The spring-clip 85 is then forced over the tabs to hold the latter. The rod '15 is inserted by way of the distended opening into the envelope with the hook Tl projecting slightly beyond the distended opening.

The asbestos cord 35' is pre-cut to about double the length of the required filling as in Figure 1, so that the folded cord of Figure 2 is of appropriate length. The doubled cord with the drawstring threaded through its loop 39, as in Figure 2, is now laid edgewise into the U-shaped trough l3 and the draw-string 39 is caught over the hook E's of rod The latter is now pulled through the envelope, and easily pulls the drawstring along with it so that the latter emerges from the far end of the envelope. The rod .6 is now detached from draw-string and removed and the operator then pulls upon the latter to draw the doubled cord into the envelope to the position seen in Figure '7. The draw-string may now be pulled out and removed and the springclip 85 may then be swung to release the filled envelope at the tabs 52-3. then removed from the apparatus upon opening the vise.

t is to be noted that during the insertion of the cord into the envelope, its sides are made to assume the oblong section for which the envelope is fashioned as may be seen in Figure 6. The ends of the envelope are now trimmed and by means of the clips 99 are closed upon the ends of the doubled cord as illustrated in Figures 10 and 11. Upon removal from the vise after the insertion of the cord and the closing of the ends, the pad will have the shape seen in Figure 14.

Prior to pressing the pad in order to flatten its top, the pad is fastened to the arcuate support 2'! by means of the screws 26 which pass through the flap 3-3 of the envelope. The pad is now pressed as aforesaid between the dies 95 and 98 and is then ready for use in the typewriter as indicated in Figure 1''.

Variations may he resorted to within the scope of the invention, and. portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a typewriting machine having a platen, the combination with a se of type-bars individually movable from a nested array toward said platen, of an inert pad for arresting and cushioning the type-bars as they return from the platen, said pad including an inert fabric envelope and a type-bar arresting and cushioning filling of corded asbestos fibers compacted within said envelope, the cording of said fibers, effected by spinning and twisting same, serving to prevent disintegration of the filling under the type-bar blows.

2. In a typewriting machine having a platen,

The filled envelope is the combination with a set of type-bars individually movable from a nested array toward said platen, of an inert pad for arresting and cushioning the type-bars as they return from the platen, said pad including an inert type-bar arresting and cushioning filling formed by a plurality of cords spun and twisted from asbestos fibers, and an inert fabric envelope in which the cords are compacted, said envelope extending lengthwise of the cords, said pad effective to arrest the type-bars noiselessly and substantially without rebound.

3. In a typewriting machine having a platen, the combination with a set of type-bars individually movable from a nested array toward said platen, of an inert pad for arresting and cushioning the type-bars as they return from the platen, said pad including a type-bar arresting and cushioning filling formed by a cord spun and twisted from fibrous inert material, said cord being folded upon itself to form a pair of cords, and an inert fabric envelope in which the paired cords are parallelly compacted, said envelope extending longitudinally of the cords, said pad ef fective to arrest the type-bars noiselessly and substantially without rebound.

4. In a typewriting machine having a platen,

the combination with a set of type-bars individ-,

ually movable from a nested array toward said platen, of an inert padding extending transversely of said array for arresting and cushioning the type-bars as they return from the platen, the body of the padding being formed of cording spun and twisted from asbestos fibers, said body of corded asbestos acting to arrest the type-bars quietly and substantially without rebound, and the spinning and twisting of the asbestos fibers conducing to the durability of the asbestos cording under the type-bar blows.

5. In a typewriting machine having a platen, the combination with a set of type-bars individually movable from a nested array toward said platen, of a plurality of asbestos cords, each spun and twisted to build up the cord from asbestos fibers, and means mounting said asbestos cords so that collectively they form a pad, with the cords extending transversely of said array, said asbestos cords acting collectively to arrest and cushion the type-bars as they return from the platen, said pad being efiective, by reason of the use of said asbestos cords, to arrest the type-bars quietly, and substantially without rebound, and the spinning and twisting of the asbestos fibers conducing to the durability of the asbestos cording under the type-bar blows.

6. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a set of type-bars individually movable from a nested array toward the printing point, of a comparatively inexpensive and durable pad for arresting the type-bars noiselessly, and substantially without rebound, as they return from the' printing point, said pad having for this purpose an envelope of inert fabric, and an inert filling of spun asbestos yarn, a multiplicity of strands of asbestos yarn being compacted within the envelope to build up a compact non-resonant type-bar-arresting body, the strands extending transversely of the type-bar array and acting collectively to arrest the type-bars.

7. In a typewriting machine having a set of type-bars individually movable toward and from a platen; a non-resonant inert pad for arresting the returning type-bars quietly and with minimum rebound, said pad including a woven fabric envelope, and also including as the non-resonant, rebound-minimizing type-bar-arresting medium, an assemblage of yarn spun and twisted from asbestos fibers, said assemblage of asbestos yarn being compactly contained by said envelope, the asbestos fibers giving the pad its non-resonant, type-bar-reboundminimizing qualities, and the spinning and twisting of the asbestos fibers into yarn conducing to the durability of the asbestos medium under the type-bar blows.

8. In a typewriting machine having a set of type-bars individually movable toward and from a platen; a non-resonant inert pad for arresting the returning type-bars quietly and with minimum rebound, said pad including a woven fabric envelope, and also including as the non-resonant rebound-minimizing type-bar-arresting medium an assemblage of a plurality of substantially par allel stretches of cord, said cord being spun and twisted from asbestos fibers, the asbestos giving the pad its non-resonant, type-bar-reboundminimizing qualities, said assemblage being compactly contained by said envelope, and the cordstretches being arranged parallelly, lengthwise of the pad, to form a pad of oblong cross-section.

9. In a typewriting machine having a set of type-bars individually movable toward and from a platen; a non-resonant inert pad for arresting the returning type-bars quietly and with minimum rebound, said pad including a woven fabric envelope, and also including as the non-resonant rebound-minimizing type-bar-arresting medium a single pair of parallel stretches of cord, said cord being spun and twisted from asbestos fibers, and the cord being of a diameter substantially equivalent to the requisite thickness of the pad, the asbestos giving the pad its non-resonant, type bar rebound mim'mizing qualities, said parallel stretches being compactly contained by said envelope and extending, lengthwise of the pad, to form a pad of oblong cross-section.

10. In a typewriting machine having a set of type-bars individually movable toward and from a platen; a non-resonant, inert, evenly-formed pad for arresting the returning type-bars quietly and with minimum rebound, said pad including as the non-resonant, rebound-minimizing typebar-arresting medium long fibers of asbestos in the form of a pair of stretches of spun and twisted cord, said pad also including a fabric envelope arranged to compactly contain the pair of cord-stretches in parallel relation, said cordstretches being side by side and extending lengthwise of the pad, said asbestos-fiber cord-stretches having an inherent tendency to wind and twist and hence distort the pad, due to the twist in the asbestos cord, said envelope being effective to counteract said tendency and thereby preserve the pad in even form.

11. In a typewriting machine having a set of type-bars individually movable toward and from a platen; a non-resonant, inert, evenly-formed pad for arresting the returning type-bars quietly and with minimum rebound, said pad including as the non-resonant, rebound-minimizing typebar-arresting medium an assemblage composed of spun and twisted asbestos burner-wicking, said pad also including a woven fabric envelope by which the asbestos burner-wicking is compactly contained, said burner-wicking being arranged in said assemblage to extend lengthwise of the pad.

WILLIAM F. HELMOND. 

